Douglas P. Dimes is the second generation owner of D.R. Dimes & Company but is actually a fourth generation furniture maker. He has spent a lifetime around and in the furniture business. He has designed thousands of pieces of furniture in his career and has been commissioned by the most prestigious museums and collectors of early American furniture in the United States. Like his father before him he has an unmatched commitment to create Windsor chairs of historical accuracy, quality, comfort and beauty. He personally crafts each chair in his own workshop to ensure a product of lasting value.
About
Biography
Company Timline
1964
Douglas R. Dimes makes his first chair
1966
Douglas & his wife Florence buy a house in Epping NH with a barn for their growing family and create a workshop
1968
Mr. Dimes hires his first employee, Thomas W. Lavigne at age 15
1972
Mr. Dimes moves to a work shop in the cellar of the Leddy Building in downtown Epping.
1974
Mr. Dimes struggles to keep the doors open in a terrible economy
1976
Mr. Dimes creates and advertises a limited edition Writing Arm chair for the Bicentennial. It works wonderfully and now he has a little momentum. He is commissioned by Independence Hall in Philadelphia to reproduce some Windsor chairs. He also incorporates under the name the Windsor Chair Shop, Inc.
1978
Mr. Dimes buys a piece of land and builds a house in Northwood, NH with his second wife June T. Dimes.
1979
Douglas and June build a workshop in Northwood, NH on the back of the property. They move the company into the new workshop. He decides to only produce furniture wholesale and creates a network of small retail stores around the country.
1980
Mr. Dimes is commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute to reproduce some Early American furniture for display in the museum. He also signs a deal with a company to create a collection that they bring to Highpoint, NC furniture market. The company sells 1800 Windsor chairs in two weeks. A period of rapid expansion begins.
1981
Mr. Dimes is commissioned to reproduce some furniture for Olde Sturbridge Village.
1982
Mr. Dimes begins to make tables and cupboards to add to his Windsor chairs
1983 – 1987
Mr. Dimes and his crew enjoy a new prosperity and success
1988
Douglas P. Dimes (son) joins the company full time after getting a bachelor of business from Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire
1989
The company begins to make higher style furniture like chests and beds in cherry ad Tiger Maple. It is called the Benchmark Collection. It is named so because it was the standard by which all others are compared.
1990
Mr. Dimes changes the name of the company to D.R. Dimes & Company, Ltd to take advantage of the brand name DRDIMES. The company signs a landmark deal to become a licensed manufacturer for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
1991
Colonial Homes Magazine shoots the photography for a feature article in the magazine. A five alarm fire breaks out in the factory. The workshop in almost completed destroyed. Mr. Dimes resolves to rebuild. The 9 page article hits the news stand. The company fields 200 calls per day but they have no way to make any furniture. He finds a temporary location in Exeter, NH. The building is fit up and operation begin within 12 weeks of the fire. A plan is created to build a new factory. He acquires some adjacent land and gets approval from the town. Construction begins
1992
The new 18,000 square foot facility is completed and the company moves in.
1993-2001
The company makes and unprecedented amount of furniture with a crew of up to 36 with multiple additions to the factory.
2004
The company is commissioned to make 48 custom Windsor chairs for Historic Charleston’s courthouse restoration.
2006
Douglas P. Dimes (me) is named company President and chief designer
2007
As demand wains for early American furniture the company begins to make custom kitchens.
2008
The historic real estate and economic crash takes a toll on everyone.
2009
The company produces the most kitchens in its history
2010
Douglas P. Dimes buys the company and the real estate from his father. He signs an agreement with Phillips Exeter Academy to become the exclusive maker of Harkness Tables in the world.
2011
The first order is placed by Phillips Exeter for Harkness Tables and chairs for the academy which totals over $500,000
2014
The Company is contracted to provide new furniture and restore furniture for Williams College’s new library. The company wins a bid to reproduce all the furniture in the U.S. Senate for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.
2015
D.R. Dimes & Company, Ltd produces 101 Senators desks for the EMK Institute in seven weeks. The project is a stunning success.
2016-2017
Business continues to slow despite all efforts.
2018
After several years of struggle Douglas P. Dimes makes the difficult decision to close the large factory. All employees were let go and operations cease. An auction for all contents is held with good enough results that all vendors and creditors are paid in full.
2019
in January all but one piece of property is sold. In April the old workshop which had become a 10,000 sqft warehouse is sold. Douglas P. Dimes decides to rent a small space in Strafford, NH for the purposes of making Windsor chairs by himself. The arduous task of acquiring equipment and reproducing all past DRDIMES patterns is largely completed.
2021
Douglas P. Dimes begins the process of building a new Workshop on his property in Pittsfield, NH
2022
The new workshop in completed and the difficult procedure of fitting up the building and moving the operation is undertaken and completed. The founder Douglas R. Dimes dies in his sleep at home. He is laid to rest in Exeter, NH. The company begins the process of building this new website.